The earth quaked. The sky began to tremble. Qi ran riot, flowing wildly out of the dragon veins and surging through it. Hui grinned. Excellent. It’s working! As I expected, a qi deviation is, fundamentally, qi flowing incorrectly. By reversing the direction of the four cardinal dragon veins, we’re essentially creating a qi deviation for the entire Immortal Realm. It’s the same principle that works for people, applied on the scale of an entire realm!
Er, or rather, it’s the same principle that destroys people. But, ah, since that’s the goal, it’s fine, it’s fine!
The reversed power blasted through the earth, creating a furrow where the dragon vein ran as dirt flew directly upward, away from the rioting vein. The edge of the world began to crumble into the void. Bits of rock and dirt floated off into space, quietly dissipating as they fell away. Hui noted it quietly, mostly focused on routing qi.
As the Golden Immortal said, he is the Immortal Realm, and the Immortal Realm is he. This ‘Immortal Realm’ we see is merely what he recreated, after destroying whatever existed before. As for what existed before… I don’t know what it’s shaped like, or how to make it, but I know someone who does. He glanced up, but found no clue, nor hint. Though of course, let’s not call out to him before we need him. If the Golden Immortal reaches him, I don’t have a fallback or a second idea. Since he’s my lynchpin, I need to make him seem as unimportant as possible!
I suppose I’m counting on Ying Lin for that. Ying Lin, I believe in you! Keep us hidden for just a little longer!
Ah, though, at this rate… we should see the Golden Immortal any moment now.
The world crumbled away, the dragon vein twisting and erupting beneath him. Hui flew forward, keeping pace with the dying edge of the realm. The cold of the void gripped at him, but the heat of the Vermillion Bird’s flames staved it off.
On the screens, the others did the same. Tian Lan protected Bai Xue, wrapping her blue energy around her, Li Xiang remained in sword form, less affected by the cold of the realm as cold metal herself, and Zhubi retreated into his shell, curled up into a cozy coil. From within, he peered out, a self-satisfied expression on his face.
Hui chuckled a little at the sight of it. It looks like Zhubi’s starting to adjust to being not-a-dragon. I’m glad to see it. If I can’t find a better solution for him, it’s better if he can at least adapt to his situation.
From the land at the very edge of the world, Hui reached the seas. Vast swathes of water poured away under the destruction of the realm, though like the dirt, it vanished a few li into the void. Everything destroyed became raw, primordial energy, swirling evenly around Hui. He lifted a hand, touching that energy. It’s like qi, yet not qi. Something purer than qi, yet less refined. A brutal, potentate energy, full of possibilities and equally danger.
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He clenched his hand. In his palm, the primordial energy became sand, only to slip through his fingers. Clay. It’s clay. From this, you can mold entire realms—no. After all, ordinary secret realms can be formed from qi. This is the stuff that makes worlds—the kind of large realms that entire civilizations spend their history on.
Fen Long… I… er, I wonder if I’ve been somewhat discounting Senior’s power, by considering him as a pseudo-Immortal? His hobby is creating small realms, but if that’s his hobby, then what can I consider his profession, unless it’s… making large realms, like these? Ah… he said he was an Immortal from another world. But perhaps… was he something like the Immortal of another world? A Heavenly-Emperor-like existence?
In that case, his eternal-nemesis-slash-friend Chen Wuya…
Hui licked his lips, suddenly replaying all the conversations he’d had with Chen Wuya in his head. If Fen Long was the Heavenly-Emperor-like ultimate good of another world, then, was I dealing with a being that could be considered the absolute evil of another world? Terrifying, too terrifying! To think, I started to treat Chen Wuya casually! Careful, I must proceed carefully! Ah… regrets, regrets. I should have bowed even deeper!
That’s neither here nor there now, though. For the moment, let’s focus on the task at hand!
The vast sea tumbled into the void, and still they progressed. On the far side, they reached the deep forests. Hui furrowed his brows, a little confused. Is the Golden Immortal not going to act? Is he that distracted by Song Wei’s battle? Is Ying Lin’s disguise too powerful?
No, no. Instead, it’s more likely that even action on this level is meaningless to him, so he plans to not act. Well, that’s reasonable, isn’t it? He can simply turn back the realm’s time, and everything I’ve done is undone.
Hui spared himself a moment for a small smile before letting the seriousness of the moment overtake him once more. I won’t complain. I’ll take as much as he’ll let me, and go as far as he’ll let me! He said it himself that destroying the Immortal Realm destroys him. If that’s not true, it should at least deal a wound! If it’s not enough to seriously harm him, so be it, but I suspect that’s not the case.
Come on, Golden Immortal. Stop putting up a front and make a move. Don’t make me destroy the entire realm.
Is he trying to call my bluff?
Ha! What bluff? Let’s see this entire realm tumble into the void! You’ve laid it out plainly. I must destroy the realm to destroy you. So be it!
Hui chuckled to himself. And Bai Xue said I was a hero. No. I know my role.
A hero? Never. Not me. I’m merely a bystander. Just another ordinary cultivator. I don’t have high moral standards, nor a high-falutin goal. All I can do is scramble and work hard to protect what little I have. If that means playing dead, I’ll do it. If that means playing the hero, I’ll do it.
And if that means playing the villain…
Hui looked at the crumbling realm beneath him. He grinned.
I’ll do it!